Sketch
by DancingKirby
Summary: Dubverse. While Bastion is on his own during the Domino City trip, he runs into an eccentric artist who teaches him a few things about life.


A/N: Okay, I started writing this last Friday. What I wasn't expecting was for so many Pokemon crossovers to crop up over the weekend. So I'm not copying the idea; I swear!

Anyway: about this fic. It's basically my homage to two of the most underappreciated characters in anime.

For once, I wrote an innocent, G-rated genfic. There is one implied het pairing, but it's not the main focus of the story.

I used dub names and dubverse simply because it just seemed to fit better with the plot for some reason. That, and I've always had an urge to write a fic in the dubverse, just for a change of pace.

There's some foreshadowing for the next dub episode that will air as well (82). I just couldn't help myself!

And...that's all I have to say, except: I have conquered you for now, evil writer's block! Ph34r!

Disclaimer: I don't own YuGiOh, GX, or Pokemon.

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Well, here Bastion Misawa was. Left to fend for himself again while his so-called "friends" went on their merry way of touring Domino City. He had looked away for just ONE SECOND, and they had run off. He honestly didn't know why he hadn't seen this coming right from the start.

But, Bastion reminded himself, this wasn't the end of the world unless he made it be that way. While being left alone was disappointing, it wasn't like Bastion needed other people around to take a tour. Why, he could make up his own tour just as easily! While everyone else was visiting the same old spots like Yugi's house and Battle City landmarks, Bastion could go visit some places that had meaning other than a popular card game.

There was the library, and the science museum, and the university, and...

With newfound enthusiasm, Bastion set off on his mission to visit all of the intellectual "hot spots" of Domino City.

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Okay. As much as Bastion hated to admit it, he had to face the truth after trying to find the library for a full hour. The fact of the matter was, he was hopelessly lost. All the streets looked more or less the same, so Bastion supposed he had missed a turn somewhere along the way.

Bastion had purchased a new map of Domino City just for this trip. And it might have helped, too, if it hadn't been for the fact that Jaden had been holding the map when he ran off with everyone else.

And it was a pretty darned expensive map! Bastion had paid for it with his own pocket money-and it wasn't too often that his parents were able to send him an allowance.

So if Jaden spilled food on the map, or even folded it the wrong way, Bastion would be more than slightly irritated. He wouldn't ever get a chance to COMMUNICATE this annoyance in a way that Jaden would listen to, but it would be just one thing added to an ever-growing list of irksome things about Duel Academy.

No...he shouldn't be thinking about that now. He may have been hopelessly lost, but darn it, he was determined to have a good time during this trip! That meant putting his worries about school aside for a bit.

Then, to his relief, Bastion noticed a pleasant-looking park a bit further down the street (of course, he had no clue just which street it was). Maybe it would have an information kiosk or something.

The park was indeed quite pleasant-if one was in the mood to visit parks. The grounds were clean and attractive, and there were plenty of trees for shade. Unfortunately for Bastion, however, there was no kiosk to be found. Just a sign displaying the park regulations, a playground and a few park benches, and a little placard proudly stating that Yugi Moto had once used this park as a game-practicing ground.

Wow, everything in this city seemed to revolve around Yugi, didn't it? Bastion didn't want to be cynical-he respected the King of Games and all-but doubted that anyone would remember who Yugi Moto WAS in fifty years or so. But he knew better than to state those thoughts out loud, especially in THIS city.

Well, at any rate, maybe if Bastion sat on a bench for a bit, he'd run into someone who knew the way to the library. He was too shy to actually walk up to anybody.

Bastion sat down on the nearest bench, which at first he thought was vacated. Then he heard a slight rustling sound.

He looked down, only to see a fully-grown man crawling on his hands and knees on the ground. Apparently, he had dropped something, and was trying to retrieve it. It didn't look like he was having too much luck, though.

After a minute or two of searching for this unknown object, the man gave a sigh of exasperation and looked up. He started a bit when he saw Bastion sitting there. Obviously, he too had thought that he had been alone.

But he seemed to get over being startled quickly as he stood up and flashed a friendly grin at Bastion.

"Excuse me," he said to Bastion while brushing the dirt off the knees of his pants, "but have you seen my pencil anywhere? I've looked all over for it!"

Bastion thought for a bit, and then spotted the culprit pencil in an absurdly obvious place.

"Is that your pencil tucked behind your ear?" he asked.

The older man felt around in his hair for a few seconds, then facefaulted.

"Man, that's the third time this trip that I've forgotten I put it there! Thanks for your sharp eye."

Bastion said, rather bemusedly, that it was no problem.

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As the man retrieved the pencil and started looking for something in his briefcase, Bastion was able to get a better look at him.

He wasn't all THAT old, really. Sure, he had that briefcase, and was wearing a new business suit, but he only looked to be twenty-two or thereabouts.

He had an abundance of dark hair, with bangs that seemed to have an unfortunate tendency to fall in his eyes. Apparently, he was one of those people who couldn't look professional no matter how hard he tried.

And it was more than obvious that going on stuffy business trips wasn't this guy's niche. The pencil that Bastion had spotted wasn't any ordinary pencil. It was one of those special soft-lead pencils used in drafting and sketching and stuff.

That, combined with the fact that the guy had just pulled out a big sketchbook out of the briefcase, seemed to indicate one thing to Bastion: this guy was an artist, possibly even a professional one.

This was confirmed when the man gave an exuberant shout.

"That pose is perfect-I have to sketch it! No, DON'T MOVE! It's important that you stay completely still."

So all Bastion could do was sit there and blink as the other man enthusiastically moved his pencil around on a clean sheet in the sketchbook. Fortunately, he seemed to be quite practiced doing spur-of-the-moment sketches, because he was done in just a few minutes. He signed his name with a flourish at the bottom of the paper.

"There! I've been waiting for an opportunity like this all afternoon, actually. I decided to check out this park because I can often get some good pictures sketching children playing. Today just wasn't my day though. Oh, by the way, my name's Tracey Sketchit-what's yours?"

Although Bastion was still a bit weirded out by this guy, he told him his name.

The guy...Tracey, was it?- smiled and said, "Bastion? That's an unusual name."

Bastion, perhaps feeling more defensive than he ought to have, retorted, "Well, you have a girl's name!"

But Tracey wasn't offended. He smiled sheepishly and said, "Touche! Now you're my kind of person! If it's one thing I like about people, it's when they're focused. Professor Oak would like having you as a new intern, I think. If you don't mind me saying that."

Bastion drew a blank. Apparently, he was supposed to know who this Professor Oak was. Problem is, he'd never heard of the guy. He said as much to Tracey.

Tracey's reaction was immediate and a bit scary. He loomed over Bastion slightly menacingly, while shouting, "You've never heard of PROFESSOR OAK? I thought everyone knew about him! He's one of the most brilliant people who has ever lived!"

"Sorry..." mumbled Bastion. Then he remembered-he didn't come here to talk to this eccentric guy. He was just here to ask the way to the library!

So he worked up his courage and asked Tracey where the library was.

To Bastion's slight dismay, Tracey answered, "Sorry, but I'm as new here as you are. I come from practically the other side of the planet! Professor Oak sent me here in his place to meet with this guy called Seto Kaiba. He would have gone himself, but he is getting in on years a bit, so I'm often sent to represent him in meetings like this."

All Bastion could do was nod to show he was listening. If it were any other guy, Bastion would feel sorry that he would have to meet with Kaiba. After all, Kaiba was very intimidating. But something told Bastion that Tracey wasn't the kind to be intimidated easily.

Meanwhile, Tracey had finally stopped talking. He was looking expectantly at Bastion, as if expecting him to say something.

But what was there to say? This guy seemed to have a MUCH more interesting life. He was an artist AND the personal assistant of an apparently famous professor. Bastion was just a student who liked math.

But Tracey was still waiting for him to say something, so he lamely said pretty much what he had thought.

For some reason, Tracey refused to hear any hint that Bastion's life was boring.

"What are you talking about? I don't think that math is boring at all!" he exclaimed, "I use it all the time in Pokemon watching!"

Pokemon? Bastion had heard of them. They were apparently an assortment of creatures who were native to a land that was quite far away. It wasn't often that Pokemon trainers visited Domino City or its surroundings.

Now Bastion was curious. He asked, "So what brings a Pokemon watcher all the way over here? I don't think Kaiba's company deals with Pokemon or anything."

As Bastion had expected from experience, Tracey was more than happy to answer the question.

"Well, apparently this Kaiba person invented a portable hologram system for some kind of game. Professor Oak is interested in altering the hologram projectors to be used as training devices for Pokemon, so he sent me here to meet with Kaiba and ask his permission to use the technology."

Bastion replied, "Good luck with that. Seto Kaiba tends to be very secretive and cautious-he won't give permission to use his technology to just anyone who asks."

Tracey didn't seem overly worried about this statement, though. He just stated, "Well, I guess I'll just have to cross that bridge when I come to it. The meeting isn't until tomorrow afternoon, so I have lots of time to prepare what I'm going to say!"

Somehow, Bastion just had a feeling that Kaiba just might be won over. Tracey seemed to be one of those people that one just couldn't help but like.

Now Tracey was rubbing his chin thoughtfully. Bastion assumed it was just a gesture to denote deep thought. But, as Tracey soon revealed, there was another reason.

"You know...maybe I should have waited until after this trip to shave off my beard. I was trying to grow one so I would look more mature, but the problem is...Misty hated it! She practically locked me in the bathroom until I shaved it off."

Tracey laughed good-naturedly. Obviously, he liked this "Misty" person enough to not be bothered by her antics. It sounded like she was Tracey's girlfriend, but Bastion couldn't be quite sure. Come to think of it, Tracey had never actually mentioned this person before.

Tracey saw Bastion's confusion, so he clarified, "Misty's my fiancee. We're getting married this summer, after she turns twenty-one. Her personality takes some getting used to, but I wouldn't give her up for the world! Wait-let me get out her picture."

He took out his wallet, opened it, and showed Bastion a snapshot of a rather pretty red-headed young woman.

For some reason, looking at this picture made Bastion feel a bit depressed. This just added onto his feeling that Tracey had a perfect life. He was friendly, sociable, had a job he both liked doing and was good at, had a hobby at which he excelled. That by itself was enough to make Bastion envious. And now, to top it all off, Tracey had revealed he was engaged to a woman who seemed to be just perfect for him.

On the other hand...what did Bastion have going for himself? What things would make people as envious of him as he was of Tracey? Really, not much. He was good at math and science, but no one liked nerds. He was decent at sports, he supposed, but not in a flashy way like, say, Atticus.

And people like Atticus were the ones who got all the admiration, especially from girls. Coincidence? Bastion thought not.

Tracey noticed Bastion's change in mood almost immediately.

"Was it something I said?" he asked jokingly. But then he seemed to realize that Bastion wasn't really in a mood for jokes.

He said in a slightly regretful tone, "Meh...sorry I talked about myself all that time! Misty HATES it when I do that! Now I'm going to actually be polite and let you talk! So, what's on your mind?"

Bastion mumbled that Tracey wouldn't want to hear about it.

"But you really look like you want to say something!" Tracey insisted. "If you still think that I'll find you boring, well, you probably found my rambling boring too! So I'm going to repay the favor-I'm all ears, no matter HOW boring it is."

Bastion was usually not one to confide things to strangers like this (heck, even some people he knew well), but the thing about Tracey was...he had stopped being a stranger quite some time ago.

So he worked up his courage and said nervously, "Well...I guess I just don't understand how you DO it all. You seem to have everything that I don't. I'd really like to be more like you-so how DID you get such a nice life?"

Tracey contemplated this for a bit. For once, he seemed to be in a serious mood. Then, he asked a rather unexpected question.

"Bastion, how old are you?"

Bastion, who was caught off guard, said hesitantly, "Um...sixteen, but I really don't see what that has to do with anything. No offense..."

Tracey quickly reassured him that no offense had been taken. Then he became thoughtful again.

"Sixteen, huh? Well, let me tell you something- you sure seem better off than I did when I was sixteen. I was just starting to work for Professor Oak back then, and I was kind of introverted. I had a few friends, but I generally just absorbed myself in my work. And it didn't help matters that I was more than a bit overweight. I think if I had met you when I was sixteen, I would be the one jealous of YOU!"

Bastion was stunned, to say the least. Either this guy was prone to making up fanciful stories just to make other people feel better about themselves, or he was being more brutally honest about his own faults than almost anyone Bastion could think of. Either way took quite a bit of courage, really.

Of course, NOW the question Bastion was dying to ask was, how did Tracey get from how he was then to how he was now? However, he didn't have to say anything. Obviously, Tracey had been anticipating that question all along.

"So now you probably want to know how I stopped being such a wreck, am I right?" he asked Bastion. All Bastion could do was nod.

"Well...the thing I realized sooner or later was, I wasn't going to get anywhere in life unless I had some initiative. I didn't like how overweight I was, but the thing was, I never wanted to DO anything about it for the longest time. But once I got serious about wanting to change how I was, everything fell into place. Basically, what I'm trying to say is-your life is how YOU make it, and nothing more!"

There was a long period of silence as both people pondered this nugget of wisdom.

Then Tracey went back to his previous lighthearted manner.

"Wow, I didn't know that that would turn out so...philosophical. Maybe I should give up sketching and start writing self-help books as a hobby!"

Bastion couldn't help but laugh this time. Maybe Tracey was right-maybe he SHOULD try harder if he wanted more things to go his way.

Well, if he was going to do that, the first thing he would have to do is stand up against this whole "Society of Light". The situation was getting out of hand, and no one seemed to have the courage to DO anything about it. If Bastion could bring this nonsense to a stop...that would definitely be a major step towards earning back some respect from other students.

Bastion looked up at the sky in an attempt at a dramatic pose, only to notice something. The sun was starting to set. He would have to find his way back to the group of other students, or he might get in trouble.

He said as much to Tracey, and apologized for having to leave on such short notice.

"No problem! It's probably my fault for keeping you here so long. Well...good luck in whatever you're doing, Bastion!"

Bastion gave one last farewell wave as he dashed off.

Tracey smiled to himself. He hadn't been expecting this conversation to take place, but he was glad it did. He liked helping people.

And Tracey himself had gotten a great new sketch he could add to his portfolio, so it was a win-win situation.

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Bastion was so preoccupied on the rest of the trip, he only realized when he got back to school that he never did find that library.

Oh well. He had learned more from Tracey than he ever could from a library!

THE END


End file.
